The 25 Days of Christmas
by nickelback2001
Summary: Elena hates Christmas. Damon loves it. He makes it his life's mission to bring some holiday cheer into Elena's life even if she despises him for it.
1. Chapter 1

Elena made her way down the red and green filled aisles, completely miserable. There were people everywhere—buying Santa Claus wrapping paper, debating whether they should get white or colored Christmas lights this year, and worst of all, fighting each other over the last Malibu Barbie doll to buy for their bratty children—she hated it. Elena had hated this time of year for as long as she could remember. To her, Christmas was just a marketing ploy made by big corporations for people to spend all of their hard earned money.

Sadly, there was a reason on why she was subjecting herself to this torture-her roommate Caroline was currently sick and had roped her into buying the supplies for the Police Department's annual Christmas party that she was running. So here Elena was, staring at the fake pine trees in the store that Caroline insisted that they needed because the tree they usually used "looked like it had been run over by all nine reindeer."

She had no clue of which one she should buy. There were ones with pure white pine needles, ones with pretend snow coated on them, ones with lights, and ones without lights. Staring at them gave Elena a headache.

She rubbed her temples and sighed as Mariah Carey's voice came over the radio _again. _Elena wasn't sure how much more of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" she could hear before she went insane.

Her annoyance for the holiday grew when she felt someone bump into her. _Did no one pay attention to their surroundings these days?_

The man turned around to apologize. _Wow, he had the bluest eyes that Elena had ever seen. Not that that made up for his error._

"I'm really sorry...but, are you okay? No offense, but I've never seen someone look so annoyed while buying a Christmas tree." He told her.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I don't like Christmas. I'm doing a favor for my roommate." Elena said.

"You don't like Christmas?" He sputtered.

"Yes, I don't like Christmas. Goodbye." Elena said matter of factly before walking in the other direction.

She shook her head as she walked away from him. _What was with this guy? He was nosy, rude, and rather judgmental. _Elena hoped she would never see him again.

* * *

Damon shook his head and chuckled to himself as the girl walked away. She intrigued him-there was definitely some fire in those big, brown doe eyes of hers. He hoped that he would see her around some time.

He smiled to himself as he walked around the rest of the store. _Damon loved Christmas-the decorations, the music, and most of all the boosted morale of everyone during the season. Well, the boosted morale of everyone but her. _He couldn't shake her image from his mind. There was just something about her…

* * *

Elena came home empty became overwhelmed by everything holiday related and couldn't take it anymore. _At least, that's what Elena tried to convince herself. That man had gotten too much under her skin._

Caroline was lying on their couch surrounded by tissues. _It's a Wonderful Life_ was playing on their T.V. screen, and she saw her friend shed a tear while watching it. _Ugh, Elena couldn't stand the movie. It reminded her too much of...she didn't want to think about them. _She ignored the movie and looked down at Caroline.

"I'm really sorry, Care. I couldn't pick out a tree. There were way too many options. I think you're going to have to pick it out when you feel better."

Caroline stared at her unconvinced. Sometimes it felt like Care had a sixth sense that could detect lying.

"Is that what _really_ happened?" Caroline asked her.

_Ugh, Caroline had caught her. _Elena told her the entire story of the rude man at the store.

"Was he hot?" She asked her, excitedly.

"I guess, if you are into nosy men who bump into unsuspecting bystanders and question them on their holiday preferences."

Caroline continued to stare at Elena, and she felt her face flush.

"_Ooh, yeah. He was definitely hot."_

"Let me get you some chicken noodle soup." Elena said, trying to change the topic.

"Fine, you win this time, Gilbert. But I think you should go ask him out the next time you see this _hot, mystery man."_

Elena rolled her eyes at her. "There will never be a next time. I am never going to see that man ever again."

* * *

Damon stood in line at Starbucks before he went to work. He surveyed the menu, looking at all of the new holiday drinks that they offered. _Who was he kidding, of course he was going to get a peppermint mocha like he did every year. _He was the next in line to order when he glanced at a girl walking in the door. She had long, brown hair and large brown eyes-_it was her. He had a few minutes to spare, he decided. _He stepped out of line and joined her in the back.

"You know, I am really sorry about bumping into you the other day. Let me make it up to you." Damon said.

She turned around to look at him and stared in disbelief. "You, again. Are you stalking me?"

"I like to call it fate." He smirked.

They got to the front of the line, and she ordered a black coffee.

"Name for the order?" The barista asked.

"Elena." The girl responded.

"Wow, first you dislike Christmas, and now you are ordering a black coffee. I think you just have an aversion towards joy, _Elena_." He remarked.

She turned to him and was about to tell him off, but decided against it. She took out her wallet to pay for her coffee when…

"I got it." Damon said, handing the barista his credit card.

"I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own coffee..."

"_Damon. _My name is Damon."

"Well, I appreciate the gesture, but I am perfectly capable of buying my own coffee, _Damon."_

There was that fire in her eyes again. Damon simply just smiled at her and ordered his own coffee.

They stood there in silence, waiting for their coffees to be ready. _He wanted to get to know Elena more, and find out why she despised Christmas so much. _A light bulb went off in Damon's head.

"I would like to make a wager," he started.

"What would you like to bet on, Damon? _How much you can annoy me?_"

He smiled at her. "Today is December 1st. I think that I can make you like Christmas by the 25th."

"What's the prize?" She asked him.

"If I win, you have to spend Christmas with me." He said.

"And if I win?"

"Then, I'll decide that you're right-that Christmas is a waste of time. And I won't celebrate it this year." He said.

"Hmm..that's a big loss on your end. You must be pretty confident that you can convert me."

"I am. _So, what do you say, Elena?" _Damon asked her, extending out his hand to her.

She looked him in the eye for a few seconds before sighing. _"Deal." _She said while shaking his hand.

"Just you wait, Elena. You're going to be one of those people who decorate their entire yard with Christmas inflatables by the time I'm done with you."

"_God, no."_

Damon just smiled at her. He was looking forward to his next twenty five days with _Elena._


	2. Chapter 2

_December 2nd_

"Okay, Elena. Step one of enjoying Christmas is putting up a tree. And not one of those fake ones you buy in a store. _A real one._" Damon said.

"Where is this tree going?" She asked him.

"Well, in your apartment of course. I already have a tree put up. Besides, one of the best parts about December is staring at your Christmas tree everyday."

Elena groaned, and Damon gave her a big smile.

An hour later, the two of them were standing out in the snow at a tree farm. Damon led her through row after row of pine trees, claiming that he would know the perfect one when he saw it.

"Damon, we've been here forever. Why don't we just pick one and go." Elena said.

"Wait," he said, stopping in his tracks. "That one right there is _perfect."_

Elena looked to where he was pointing...there in all its glory stood a ten foot pine tree that had the greenest pine needles that she had ever seen. _It really was perfect, even Elena could admit that._

"Okay, what now, Mr. Christmas?" She asked him.

"Well, Scrooge...now, we have to chop it down." He said while holding up his axe for her to see.

"Okay...go for it." She said.

"Oh no, I think you should get the first few hits in."

Elena stared at Damon like he was crazy. He handed her the axe, and she raised it in the air in preparation. She looked back at Damon, and he nodded back at her to do it. The tree was down in five hits.

"Do you feel better?" He asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"You always seem to have this pent up rage...I thought that taking it out on something might make you release some of it." Damon said.

"I do not have pent up rage." She said in an angry tone. She sighed, "Let's just go buy this, okay?"

Damon just shook his head at her and smiled.

The two of them managed to tie the tree up and attach it to the roof of Damon's car after many attempts. Damon told her that he would go easy on her now and not play any Christmas music _yet. _They rode home in mostly silence until Elena spoke up.

"Why are you doing this, Damon? Why are you so determined for me to like Christmas?"

He looked over at her and sighed. "I don't know...I guess I see a lot of myself in you. I didn't used to be this optimistic, you know."

"What changed?" She asked him softly.

"It's a story for another day." He said.

Elena dropped the subject, and they rode home in silence.

They made it back to Elena's apartment, and somehow they were able to fit the ten foot tree inside.

Elena looked at the tree in her living room, "Okay, done."

Damon tsked at her, "Not yet, my young grasshopper. Now, we have to decorate it."

He went back outside to his car and carried in a storage container full of ornaments, lights, and garland.

"These are my extra decorations from my house." He said while handing off the box to her.

Elena's arms fell a few inches from the sheer heaviness of the container. "God, Damon, what's in this thing?"

She set the box on the floor, and searched through its contents. She picked up one of the tissue paper wrapped ornaments and carefully unwrapped it. It was one of those ornaments that you buy after sitting on Santa's lap at the mall. It was a picture frame that held a photo of two young boys-one of them obviously being Damon with his dark hair and bright blue eyes. The other boy was smaller with brown hair and greenish eyes.

Elena held up the frame for Damon to see, "Is this your brother?"

"Yeah, that's Stefan." Damon said softly.

She sensed that there was something going on there, so she set the frame down and changed the subject. "Okay, well this tree isn't going to decorate itself!"

Damon raised his eyes a bit at her cheery tone, but he didn't question it. "Okay, so the first step are the lights and garland…"

Twenty minutes later, Damon and Elena were laughing at her ability or rather lack thereof to string garland around a tree. She was teetering on a ladder, and Damon instinctively put his hands on her hips to help steady her. Elena felt a shiver run through her body at his touch.

At the very same moment, Caroline walked in and appraised the situation. Elena felt her cheeks flush red at Caroline's suggestive expression that she was giving her.

Damon noticed Caroline's presence and took his hands off her hips, and she internally groaned at the loss of contact.

"Uh, Caroline, this is Damon. We're putting up a Christmas tree." She said.

"_I can see that." _Caroline smirked.

Elena felt her face grow hotter.

"Well, carry on guys. _I'll get out of you two's way." _Caroline winked at Elena before going into her bedroom.

Elena turned her head so that she was looking down at Damon. "I'm sorry about that, it's been a while since I've had a guy over, and Caroline likes to tease."

"It's totally fine," he laughed, "okay, so now wrap the garland this way…"

An hour later, Damon and Elena stood there and admired their finished product. The tree was beautiful with multi-colored lights and bulbs of every shape and size. _Elena could admit that it was pretty fun putting up the tree with Damon._

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow night, Elena." Damon said.

"What are we doing tomorrow night?" She asked.

"_Watching a Christmas movie."_

* * *

_December 3rd_

Elena stood on Damon's doorstep, snow fluttering down around her. She rang his doorbell, and the door opened a few seconds later, revealing Damon.

"Here, come inside. You must be freezing out there." He said.

She stepped inside and took in her surroundings. Damon's house was _cozy_ with a warm brown color palette and leather furniture. Around the corner, in his living room, there was a roaring fire and a large Christmas tree that was the main focal point of the room.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" She heard him ask her.

"Yes, please." Elena said as she further examined the room.

Sitting on top of the fireplace were some framed photographs of what looked to be Damon's family. In some of the photos, she recognized his brother, Stefan, but he was nowhere to be found in the more recent photos.

Damon walked back into the living room holding two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Elena took a sip of hers and almost moaned from how delicious it was.

Damon chuckled, "It's my mom's recipe. She used to make it all the time when Stefan and I were kids."

Elena glanced back at the photos. "Does Stefan usually spend the holidays with you?"

He sighed and motioned for her to sit on the couch. "Remember that story I was saving for another day?"

She nodded, and he continued. "It happened when I was twelve. Stefan was only eight. We were just dumb kids doing dumb kid shit. We decided to go sledding down a hill that had a frozen lake at the bottom of it. Stefan slid down the hill and hit a patch of thin ice on the lake…"

Elena took his hand in reassurance. "...and he fell in. I tried my hardest to get him out, but it was useless. He died that day, and so did I."

"Oh, Damon…"

He continued on. "For years, I was filled with hate. Mostly for myself. Until I got into a major car accident when I was eighteen. I nearly died. I had gone through the windshield and had to be resuscitated. I saw my life flash through my eyes and realized how much time I wasted by focusing on my brother's death that couldn't be changed. From that day on, I've lived life to the very fullest."

Elena was stunned speechless. _Maybe Damon could relate to her situation more than she originally thought._

"And on that happy note, we should watch the movie." Damon said.

"What movie are we watching?" Elena asked.

"Well...I wanted to go easy on you for the first movie." He started.

"_We're going to watch more than one?" _She asked incredulously.

"Just remember you're the one who agreed to this." He laughed.

"Just play the damn movie."

Damon just shook his head at her and pressed play on "Elf". Their bodies sunk deeper into the couch as the opening scene of the movie played. Elena turned her head at him and looked like she wanted to say something, but he put a finger to his lips and smirked at her. She shook her head in annoyance.

Half way through the movie, Elena actually looked like she was enjoying herself. She laughed at Will Ferrell's antics and would glance at his own reaction to the movie.

A few minutes later, Damon felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he yawned.

"Oh c'mon Damon, you can't fall asleep now! Santa's sleigh is broken!" Elena said as she nudged him to stay awake.

"Okay, okay." He said, forcing his eyes to stay open.

Elena became more engrossed in the movie as it was reaching its climax. She turned her head to see Damon's reaction and caught him fast asleep despite what she said moments before. She shook her head and smiled at his peaceful state.

The end credits of the movie played, and Damon was still asleep. _Should she wake him up? He looked so comfortable though…_

Elena herself was starting to feel a bit sleepy. She rested her head on Damon's shoulder and let sleep overtake her.


	3. Chapter 3

_December 4th_

Damon had never felt so relaxed in his entire life. His mind was split between unconsciousness and reality as he slowly woke up from his dreamlike state. His body began to regain its consciousness, and he felt a strange warmth and heaviness on his chest.

_It wasn't an unpleasant feeling though, he thought._

His eyes slowly drifted open, and all Damon could see was long, brown tresses. _Elena was asleep on top of him. _

_Huh, he didn't remember that happening last night._

Damon tried to stretch out his muscles without disturbing the sleeping girl, but the slight movement caused her to sleepily open her large brown eyes.

Seeing their position, Elena quickly sat up. "I'm sorry, Damon. I'm not quite sure how that happened last night."

"It's okay," he started. Damon checked the time on his phone, it was nearly 10 o'clock. "Here, let's go out for breakfast, you must be getting hungry."

The two of them ended up at a little mom and pop diner about ten minutes away from Damon's house. He ordered pancakes while Elena ordered eggs and bacon. They sat in a comfortable silence waiting for their food until she spoke up.

"So, what's the next step in your scheme?" Elena asked.

"Well...it did snow quite a bit last night. It would be a shame to waste perfectly good packing snow." Damon told her.

"Are you asking me to build a snowman with you?" She asked.

"Well, yeah."

"But I don't have any snow gear." Elena protested.

"I think you'll manage," Damon smirked, "besides if you get too cold, you know what they say about body heat."

She smacked Damon's arm from across the booth. He raised his arms up in surrender.

Later, Damon and Elena were standing out in the snow in a mix match of sweatpants and old snow jackets-she looked like she was drowning in Damon's old clothes, but it made Elena look even cuter to him. She stared at him, waiting for his instruction.

"So, the trick is," he started while forming a snowball in his hands, "to start small then very gradually get bigger." He said as he packed more snow onto the base.

"Okay…" She said as she started forming her own snowball. Damon's back was turned to her, and she suddenly had an idea.

Damon felt something cold and wet hit the back of his head. He turned around to see Elena desperately trying to hold in her laughter before shrugging her shoulders.

"_Oh, it's on." _He smirked.

Before Elena could make her next move, she was hit by an onslaught of snow. She tried to make a break for it, but Damon was too fast. He had almost caught up to her in seconds since her baggy clothing was weighing her down. Elena ended up tripping on her boot and fell into the snow, completely under Damon's mercy.

"Are you sure that you're sorry, Elena?" He asked her while holding a newly formed snowball in his hand.

"Oh, yes. Definitely." She said, trying to give him her best puppy dog eyes.

"I'm not sure that I believe you…"

"How about now…" she said as she tripped him with her foot.

Damon landed in the snow next to her. Before he could say anything, Elena straddled his hips and crushed her lips to his.

Damon immediately responded, deepening the kiss. They stayed interlocked for a few minutes before Elena finally pulled back.

"So, am I forgiven?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Damon responded before pulling her back into a kiss.

* * *

_December 5th_

"What's the surprise? Why won't you let me see where we're going?" Elena asked as she sat blindfolded in Damon's car.

"It's our first date, I want it to be perfect. _Please play along?"_

"Okay, okay. You just better not be kidnapping me right now." She said.

Damon simply just laughed and started to drive to their destination. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Elena felt his fingers brush against her own, and she took his hand in hers-the sensation even more electrifying from her loss of sight.

When Damon released her hand to park the car, there was an emptiness inside her that she hadn't felt in a long time-it was almost like someone had made their hands to perfectly fit into each other's. _She craved his touch._

"Okay, you can take your blindfold off now." Damon told her.

Elena slid it off of her eyes and looked around in amazement. The snow-capped mountains all around her seemed even more beautiful in the hazy purple sunset.

"Wait, are we going skiing?" She asked as she looked down at her dress.

"Nope," he said as he took her hand, "I got us reservations at a great little Italian place in the ski village."

"_Thank you for the surprise, Damon. This is perfect." _Elena told him.

He smiled at her as they walked hand in hand to the restaurant.

They were seated next to a window that overlooked the mountains, and ordered pasta and wine.

"So, Elena, you never really told me about your family." Damon said.

"Well, there's not much to tell. When I was sixteen, I got into a car crash with my parents on Christmas Eve. It was a drunk driver. I survived, but they didn't."

Damon took her hand from across the table and rubbed comforting circle with his thumb.

"Is that why you hate Christmas?" He asked softly.

"Yeah. I haven't celebrated it since."

"Well, I hope to fix that." He said, sincerity in his eyes.

"I hope you do, too." Elena told him. He could see the brokenness behind her eyes.

Their moment was broken by the waiter bringing them their meals. For the rest of the evening, they talked about more trivial things like their favorite colors and their college majors while making fun of each other the entire time.

Damon and Elena held hands on the way back to the car. Before she could open the passenger door, Damon spun her around and caught her lips in a searing kiss.

Elena threaded her hands in his hair, pulling him closer to her. He pulled back and stared into her eyes.

"Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all night." He told her.

She just smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before stepping into the car.

They made it back to her apartment, and before Damon could say anything, Elena climbed over to his seat and straddled him. She crushed her lips and against his and rolled her hips against his. His hands roamed her body, and she moaned at the contact.

"Well, I had a really great time tonight, Damon." She said, giving him one last peck on the lips.

She walked to her front door and smirked at him, leaving a breathless Damon behind her.

Elena was instantly greeted with a grinning Caroline.

"It looks like you had a good time tonight." She said, looking at Elena's mussed hair and swollen lips.

"_I might have." _Elena said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Who's the mystery man? _Is it Damon?"_

"Maybe…." Elena started.

"I knew it! Well, I hope you two are having fun."

"Thanks, Care. _I think this one is different."_

Elena went back to her bedroom and fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

_December 6th_

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Elena asked cheerily over the phone.

"_Someone is cheery today."_

"What can I say? _I had a hot date last night." _

Damon laughed, "Well...I was thinking that we could make some cookies today."

"Sounds good, I'll see you in a bit, Damon."

A few hours later, Elena stood in his kitchen waiting for instruction while Damon poured over the pages of a recipe book that was as heavy as a brick. Elvis' soft voice sang "I'll Be Home for Christmas" in the background because _you can't bake sugar cookies this time of year without listening to Christmas music, _at least according to Damon. However, Elena didn't actually mind that the music was playing-_she was happy and she was currently with the man that made her feel that way._

"Okay...so first we have to mix the dry ingredients." Damon told her.

Elena poured the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl and began to whisk them together.

"Now, we have to mix together the butter and sugar in a different bowl." He said.

She placed the ingredients in the bowl, and Damon lightly touched the small of her back, causing her body to involuntarily shiver from arousal.

"Here, you hold the bowl, and I'll use the hand mixer." Damon told her.

He stood behind her while she shifted the bowl so that he could properly mix the butter and sugar. His close proximity to her distracted her from her assigned task, and some of the mixture hit both of their shirts.

She turned to face him, "Oops."

"That's okay...I'll just do this." He said as he threw some flour at her.

"_Oh, is that how it's going to be?" _She asked.

Damon just shrugged at her and smirked.

Elena took a small handful of flour and threw it at him in retaliation. The two of them chased each other around the kitchen for a few minutes until Damon caught Elena around her waist, holding her to him.

"_Do you surrender?" _He asked.

"_Never." _She responded.

"_Wrong answer." _

Damon began tickling her sides, causing Elena to shriek.

"Okay, okay. I surrender!" She laughed.

"_Perfect."_ Damon said as he turned her around and captured her lips with his.

She deepened the kiss and threaded her hands in his hair, pulling him closer to her. He placed his hands underneath her thighs and placed her on top of one of the kitchen counters.

Her heart raced as his lips began to trail down her neck to the tops of her breasts. Elena lifted her arms, and Damon pulled off her flour covered t-shirt. He kneaded one of her breasts in one hand while he pulled her bra down with the other and captured her hardened peak in his lips. Elena moaned and gripped the counter for support.

She took his head in her hands and pulled his face back to hers, attacking his lips. She lightly bit his bottom lip, causing him to groan in pleasure. Elena's hands found the hem of his shirt and tugged on it, so Damon pulled it off, revealing his chiseled abs and chest. Her arousal grew at the sight.

Elena reached behind her and unhooked her bra clasp, leaving her chest bare with his. He pulled her body closer to his and pressed a searing kiss to her lips. The feeling of his bare skin against hers sent warmth straight to her core.

Damon picked her up and carried her to his bed. He tugged on her jeans, and she shimmied out of them, leaving her only in her lacy thong.

He pulled it aside and tested her folds with his fingers, surprised to find them soaking and ready. He pumped two fingers in and out of her, and she bit her lip from the intensity.

His lips found _there _as he continued his ministrations with his fingers, and her back arched at the sensation.

"_I want you right now." _She groaned.

Damon discarded the rest of his clothes and entered her in one fluid sweep. She moaned at the fullness, and closed her eyes.

He caressed her cheekbone with his thumb, _"I want to see you."_

Elena met his icy blue eyes, and she felt herself growing wetter from the intensity of his gaze. She wrapped her legs around him, causing him to penetrate her at a different angle. It was beginning to become too much for Elena, she gripped his biceps to hold on for longer.

"_I'm so close, Damon." _She breathed out.

"_Me too." _He groaned.

He gripped one of her thighs and pulled it over his shoulder, hitting her even deeper. Her body began to shake from pleasure, and her back arched up as her mind hit nirvana.

Damon continued to thrust inside of her, causing her ecstasy to spike up again. He then threw his head back in pleasure as she continued to ride the wave of her orgasm.

He collapsed and rolled off of her, and they laid together on his bed, trying to catch their breath.

Elena rolled over to face him, "We forgot to finish making the cookies."

"It was worth it." He smirked before recapturing her lips with his own.

* * *

_December 7th, 8th, and 9th_

Damon and Elena spent the majority of their time in bed, either at Damon's house or in Elena's apartment. Every time they tried to do any other activity, even something necessary like eating, one of them would pounce on the other-they simply could not get enough of each other.

* * *

_December 10th_

Damon and Elena were laying naked in his king sized bed, her head tucked into the crook of his arm. She traced patterns onto his abdomen.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked.

"I have a few ideas." She told him as she started kissing the underside of his jaw.

"I feel like we haven't spent much time on your Christmas education lately."

"If it means that much to you, we can do something today." Elena said.

"Then it's settled, let's go to the mall."

An hour later, they were walking around the mall-_sadly dressed, Elena thought. _They visited all of the temporary holiday kiosks that sold sausages, soap, and jewelry. The two of them held hands the entire time, enjoying each other's presence.

"What are we, Damon?" Elena asked.

"Well, I know that I would like to be your boyfriend, if that's what you want." He said, staring sincerely into her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I want." She smiled.

Damon smiled and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss-not as desperate and aggressive as their others-but it was intense just the same.

They continued their walk around until Damon stopped in his tracks.

"Elena, you _have_ to get a picture with Santa." He said pointing to their mall's huge Santa setup.

"Don't you think I'm a little old to get on some random guy's lap?" She remarked.

"Hey, you were on my lap last night." He smirked.

She smacked his arm, _"You know what I mean."_

"I'll get in the picture too, if that helps." Damon said.

"_Fine. Let's get this over with."_

The elf who was working the line raised her eyebrows at them, but let them through. Elena sat on Santa's lap while Damon stood off to the side.

"What would you like for Christmas this year, miss?" The old actor asked her.

"Well, first of all, I would like my _boyfriend_ to stop putting me in embarrassing situations." She started.

The old man laughed, and Damon smiled-that was the first time that she had ever referred to him as her boyfriend.

"Honestly, I can't think of anything more that I could want. This is the happiest I've been my entire life." Elena said while looking at Damon.

They smiled, and the elf took their picture with Santa. The two of them were walking away with their photo when Damon stopped and turned to her.

"You know, this is the happiest that I've been my entire life, too."

Elena smiled and crushed her lips against his.

He pulled back and smirked, "How about you sit on my lap and tell me what you want when we get home."

"_I would want nothing else." _She said seductively.


	5. Chapter 5

_December 13th_

"Good morning, beautiful." Damon said as he kissed Elena's forehead.

She hid her face in his chest to shut out the light that was flooding in from his bedroom window.

"Ugh, give me five more minutes." She whined.

"C'mon babe, it's a big day today. We have that Christmas party tonight."

_Ugh, that was right, Elena thought. Damon was bringing her as his plus one to his annual office Christmas party-an ugly sweater Christmas party._

"Okay, okay. I'm getting up." She said as she rolled to face the ceiling with her eyes still closed.

"You know, I don't believe you," he started, "I might just have to do _this."_

His fingers tickled her sides, and Elena began to convulse with laughter. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he just pulled her closer to him.

"Okay! I'm up! I promise this time!" She laughed.

Damon released his hold on her, and she got out of bed, giving him a full view of her soft curves.

"You know, I think we have some time if you wanna…"

She turned around and smirked at him, "Oh no, mister. You're the one who made me get out of bed. I'm not getting back in it now."

He rolled his eyes at her as he begrudgingly got out of bed, revealing his chiseled body. _Damn, his body did things to her._

"I probably could use a shower though…" Elena started.

Before she could finish her thought, Damon had her thrown over his shoulder. He smacked her ass, and Elena let out a tiny shriek before he carried her into the shower.

The warm water ran over their colliding bodies, leaving them slick and desperate. Elena tugged on his hair as her mouth attacked his, causing Damon to groan in need. His hands roamed her wet body, kneading and squeezing her curves. Her breath hitched as his hand reached between her legs, finding her most sensitive spot.

"_Please...Damon." _She breathed out, not knowing exactly what she was begging for.

He spun her around so that her hands were holding the walls of the shower for support. He brought her hips to his and thrusted into her, causing Elena produce a sound she's never made before.

Damon set a fast rhythm which suited her just fine in the moment-_she desperately needed release. _He took her by surprise by taking a fistful of her hair and lightly tugging-she nearly came from just that.

"_I'm close." _Elena moaned.

"_Me too."_

His hand snaked between her legs as he continued to move inside of her. Three strokes later, the two of them came apart together and were left panting under the warm shower spray.

Elena turned around and took his face in her hands, kissing him lightly. Wordlessly, they took turns washing each other. Damon took his time caressing each one of her curves with soap, love radiating from his icy blue eyes.

When the two of them finally left the shower, they got dressed and ate a breakfast of pancakes and orange juice that Damon prepared.

"So what now?" Elena asked.

"Well...we still have to get our ugly Christmas sweaters of course." He replied.

She made a face, and Damon just laughed and kissed the top of her forehead.

* * *

_7:00 p.m._

"Do I have to wear this?"

Elena came out of the bathroom wearing a bright red sweater that read "Santa's Favorite Ho" on it in large block letters.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Damon said as he wore his sweater that had a picture of Santa's face stitched into it and read "Where My Ho's At?" on it.

He stepped closer to her and played with the hem of her sweater, _"Besides, I think that you look sexy."_

"_Oh yeah?" _She whispered before crushing her lips against his.

Damon pulled back and sighed, "As much as I want to do that right now, if we don't leave now, we will definitely be late."

Elena pouted, but the two of them headed off to his car.

* * *

_7:30 p.m._

They made it to Damon's office just as the rest of his ugly sweater wearing co-workers began to arrive. The office was decorated Christmas to the max-garlands hung from the walls, fake snow dusted the tabletops, and mistletoe was hung in every doorway.

"You know, it would be bad luck if we didn't." Damon said, pointing to the mistletoe above their heads.

"Well, we couldn't have that now could we?" Elena whispered before pressing her lips to his.

They were interrupted by Damon's boss coming around the corner. The older man chuckled at their display, and Elena felt blood rush to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Alaric Saltzman, Damon's boss." He said, extending his hand out to Elena.

Elena shook his hand, "I'm Elena Gilbert, it's nice to meet you."

"Well, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. Salvatore here, has told me so much about you." Alaric joked.

"_Oh, has he now?" _She smirked, looking at Damon who had a light flush on his cheeks.

Damon shrugged his shoulders, but then laughed. "Just you wait, Saltzman. I'll get you back for that one."

"We'll see, my friend. We'll see." Alaric said.

* * *

They spent the rest of the night chatting with Damon's co-workers, drinking spiked punch, and playing games. Some of his female co-workers had disappointed looks on their faces when they saw Elena with Damon, but she had also met some great girls that she would like to become better friends with.

She sat at a table with a girl named Bonnie while Damon was off chatting about sports with some of his male colleagues. Her and Bonnie were both on their third glass of punch, and _they were feeling good._

They were talking about their respective boyfriends when Damon came back to their table. Upon seeing his face, a tipsy Elena burst out in laughter and a buzzed Bonnie joined in.

"Hey giggly one and two. I see you two tried the punch." Damon smirked.

"What? I'm _so sober _right now." Elena said while trying to maintain a composed face.

"Here, it's past midnight, happy. Time to go home." He said. "Do you have a ride home, Bon?"

"Yeah…" Bonnie started, looking around. "Enzo is...right there with the boss-man." She said pointing to her boyfriend chatting with Alaric.

They managed to make it to the car, Damon holding onto the stumbling girl the entire time.

"Did you have a good time?" He asked her.

"Yeah...have I ever mentioned how hot you look in that ugly sweater?" Elena said with a seductive glint in her eyes.

"Easy there, tiger," Damon laughed, "_Someone _had a little too much to drink."

"I did not…" She slurred.

Before Damon could come up with a sarcastic comment, he looked over and saw Elena asleep in the passenger seat. He smiled to himself and finished the drive home.

He carried her back to his bed and took off her shoes before tucking her in for the night. He got himself ready for bed and rejoined her. Damon stroked her soft hair and sighed to himself.

"_I love you, Elena." _He confessed out loud before closing his eyes and joining her in sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_December 14th_

Elena woke up to the aroma of bacon in the air. She sighed and rolled over as the nausea hit her. _Man, that punch was strong last night._

"Good morning, beautiful." Damon said as he carried in a tray of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. "This got me through many hungover mornings in college."

"Thanks," she said as she rubbed her temples, "what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well...I have some errands to run today that you're not allowed to be there for, but I was thinking we could do something tonight." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Are you buying me a present? Because you really don't have to…" Elena started.

Damon shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay then...I should probably go back to my apartment anyway. It feels like I haven't seen Caroline in ages." She said.

* * *

An hour later, Elena drove back to her apartment and was met with a quizzical Caroline.

"Man, I was wondering if I should report you as a missing person." She said.

Elena set her keys down and joined her at their kitchen table. "I'm sorry, Care. I know I should've kept in touch more, but…"

"But, Damon has turned your entire world on its head."

"Something like that," Elena started, "he just makes me so happy."

"Do you think that you guys are moving too fast? I mean, you didn't even know the guy two weeks ago." Caroline asked.

_Was she moving too fast with Damon? Yeah, she had just met him two weeks ago and he was already her boyfriend, but there was something different about him-he made Elena feel alive for the first time since her parents' car accident. _

"I mean, maybe...but I don't know. _He just consumes me._ I can't explain it." She told her roommate.

"Okay, well...just know it's okay to take things at a slower pace. You don't have to race across the finish line." Caroline said.

Elena nodded at Care's sentiment. Her roommate and best friend was just trying to look out for her even if she didn't need looking after at the moment.

She suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit her. Elena ran to the bathroom and threw up Damon's breakfast that he cooked for her. _She must still be hungover, she thought._

She sat on the bathroom floor and sighed in discomfort. Her breasts had been swollen for the past few days which she blamed on PMS. Her period was due at any moment since she was already late by three days. _She must just be stressed-she had been taking birth control pills for years at this point. There was no way that she could be…_

Elena didn't even want to think the word. _It was impossible anyways, so there was no point in being worried about it._

"Elena, are you okay? You practically ran out…" Caroline asked as she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Care. I just had a little too much to drink last night. I must still be hungover." She said to Caroline, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

"Okay...let me know if you need anything, Lena."

"Thanks, Care."

She waited for Caroline to walk away before she let the hot tears run down her cheeks.

* * *

_7:00 p.m._

Damon and Elena sat at a booth in the restaurant that he had picked out for dinner. The waiter came and took their orders, and they both ordered burgers.

"...and I would also like a beer." Damon told the waiter.

"I'll just take a water." Elena said.

The waiter walked away, and Damon looked at Elena strangely.

"I'm surprised you didn't get a beer too-you always get one. Are you okay?" He asked her.

_Secretly, she didn't want another drop of alcohol until she made sure that she wasn't...ugh. But she couldn't tell Damon that. Besides it wasn't true-there was no need to freak him out when she didn't know for sure._

"Yeah, I'm good." She said while taking his hand from across the table. "Last night has curbed my interest in alcohol for at least a few weeks."

Damon laughed, _"Really? That bad? _Damn, I never pegged you as such a lightweight, Gilbert."

She slapped his hand playfully, "Hey, that punch was really strong. I'm pretty sure I saw your boss put an entire handle of vodka in it."

He shook his head and chuckled, "Well, that's Alaric for you."

They waiter later came and brought their burgers, and they ate their meal while joking about their best friends. Elena was having such a good time that she almost forgot about her problem. _Almost._

Damon paid the bill and they walked back to his car, holding hands. He swung their hands around, and Elena laughed and bumped into his side.

"So, what do you want to do now? I was thinking we could go ice skating…" Damon started.

"Actually, can we stay in tonight, babe? I feel a little sick." She said.

His eyes grew concerned. "Okay, yeah...besides we still have a billion Christmas movies to get through."

They cuddled up on Damon's couch and turned on "It's a Wonderful Life." The movie choice made Elena sad-"It's a Wonderful Life" was her parents' favorite Christmas movie and they used to watch it every single Christmas. However, watching the movie would help keep her parents alive in her memory, and Damon's presence comforted her enough to be able to watch it.

They had gotten to the part where George Bailey has his wish fulfilled and sees how everyone else's life would've been if he had never been born when Elena felt her eyelids begin to drift shut. She was exhausted, and Damon's chest was so warm…

_Elena felt like she was in paradise. Sunshine peered through the bedroom curtains, and she was laying in Damon's arms while the two of them were in his bed. She smiled as she tucked her head deeper into his chest while he stroked her hair. Elena had never felt so content in her entire life. _

_The moment was ruined by her growling stomach, and the two of them laughed._

"_Well, you do need to eat for two now." Damon said._

_Elena felt confused. What was Damon talking about? She wasn't pregnant…_

_She untangled herself from him and sat up. Her eyes were met with a large stomach-her stomach-staring back at her._

Elena woke up with a start. She immediately clutched at her stomach and was met with flatness. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked groggily.

"Yeah, just a nightmare. Sorry to wake you up."

He hugged her body close to his and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. She instantly felt comforted by his actions and let herself drift back asleep in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

_December 15th_

Elena spent the entire day trying to get her period to start. She tried everything-warm bubble baths, eating vitamin C rich foods, even having a little romp with Damon before she went home.

She spent hours researching on google to figure out why her period was late while on the pill-it should've started when she had started to take the sugar pills at the end of the pack. The words "pregnancy" haunted her every search. _There had to be another explanation._

It wasn't that Elena was infertile by any means-she could go out and get pregnant tomorrow if she wanted to. But, she had been taking birth control pills since she was eighteen, pills that promised to be 99.7% effective in preventing pregnancy. _What were the chances that she could get pregnant while on them?_

She thought back to any reasons on why the pill wouldn't have worked. Elena had religiously been taking them ever since her and Damon became intimate for the first time. She thought back further and her heart sank to the floor-_she had missed a pill when she fell asleep at Damon's house the night they watched "Elf."_

_Would missing that one pill be enough to allow her to become pregnant? _Elena wasn't sure.

She decided to stop putting off the inevitable and just take the damn pregnancy test. _It was going to be negative anyway, she tried to convince herself._

Elena reached into the back of their shared medicine cabinet and grabbed one of the tests that Caroline had bought the last time she had a pregnancy scare. She took it and set it on the counter, waiting the three minutes that the instructions said to do.

Elena sat on the bathroom floor and hid her face in her hands. _She couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't. _It's not that she didn't want kids-she had always dreamed of the day that she would settle down and start a family with the perfect man. But, she was only 23-she was unmarried and just starting her career. Kids weren't in the cards for her for at least another five years.

She heard the timer go off on her phone. Elena shakily reached for the test off the counter and stared at the two distinct pink lines. _It was positive._

Elena sat there in shock, her eyes never leaving those two pink lines. She heard a knock on the door, but didn't react. All she could do was sit there, unmoving.

There was another knock on the door. "Are you okay, Elena?" Caroline asked.

She didn't respond to her roommate. Elena heard the door creak open, but her eyes stayed glued to the pregnancy test.

"Elena, what's going on, you're scaring me…." Caroline started.

Her roommate saw the pregnancy test in Elena's hands and gasped. Her hands covered her mouth in shock.

"Elena, is it…"

"_It's positive." _Elena managed to croak out.

She finally tore her eyes from the two lines and looked at Caroline who was slumped down on the floor next to her. That's when the tears started. Sobs wracked Elena's body as she curled into her best friend's embrace. It felt like she was choking on her own air supply, and Caroline rubbed her back trying to get her to relax.

"Maybe it's a false positive." Caroline said softly.

Elena nodded her head, but she knew deep down it wasn't.

"What am I going to do, Care?" Her voice cracked.

"Well...you need to tell Damon." She said.

This sent Elena in another spiral. _She didn't even begin to think about how this was going to affect Damon's life. He was going to be a father, and he didn't even know._

Elena began to hyperventilate, and her entire body began to shake.

"Elena, I need you breathe." Caroline took a deep breath to show her.

"I c-c-can't C-C-Care." She choked out.

Her mind began to feel fuzzy, and the last thing Elena saw was darkness.

* * *

Damon was having a great day. He spent the morning with Elena before having to go to work for a few hours, then he went out to lunch with Alaric, Bonnie, and some of his other co-workers.

Tonight was the night that he was going to tell Elena that he loves her for the first time. He had been planning it in his head all day. He was going to tell her at the swanky restaurant he was going to take her to, then he had some other activities planned for them…

He smiled as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. "Hey Lena…"

But it wasn't Elena's voice on the other end. "Damon, it's Caroline, I'm riding with Elena in an ambulance right now…"

Damon felt his heart leap out of his chest, he couldn't process what Caroline was telling him. "What!? What's wrong with her?"

"She passed out, but Damon, she's not waking up…" Caroline cried.

"Which hospital? I'm on my way…"

Damon made it to the hospital in minutes, speeding every chance he could. He ran into the building straight to the receptionist in the emergency ward.

"I need to see my girlfriend, Elena Gilbert…"

"Sir, you can't go back there right now. I need you to wait here." The receptionist told him.

He sat in one of the chairs and tried to calm his panicking. It felt like an eternity had passed when he heard his name.

"Damon…" Caroline started.

"Thank God, Caroline. What's wrong with her? When can I see her?"

"I'm not sure when we can go back there. But, she's awake and responsive. She did hit her head pretty hard when she fell though." Caroline told him.

"I don't understand...how did this happen? She was fine this morning..." He trailed off.

"It's not really my place to tell…"

"Caroline, what is it?" He demanded.

"She's…"

"Damon Salvatore? You can come back now." A doctor said.

He followed the doctor back to Elena's hospital bed. She was extremely out of it, but smiled when she saw him.

"What happened, baby? You scared the hell out of me…" He laughed as he took her hand.

She took a deep breath. "They're going to run some tests, but...I think that I'm...pregnant."

Damon was speechless. _Pregnant. As in Elena was carrying a child. His child. He was going to be a father._

"Elena, this is…"

She cut him off, "I know, I know, we've only been going out for like a week and a half…"

"_I was going to say great news." _

She stared at him in surprise. "You're okay with this?"

"I was going to tell you this tonight, but...I'm in love with you, Elena Gilbert. I know I've only known you for about two weeks, but when it's real, you know. I love you, Elena, and I would love to raise this child with you."

Tears formed in her eyes, "I love you too, Damon."

He leaned over her hospital bed and crushed his lips against hers. She feebly tried to pull him closer, but Damon pulled away.

"Easy there, tiger. You just passed out." He chuckled.

A doctor walked back in, carrying a clipboard with the test results. "You're just over a week pregnant, Ms. Gilbert. Congratulations."


End file.
